


Stiff Neck Love

by Orloroski



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orloroski/pseuds/Orloroski
Summary: When money comes short, Lovino Vargas takes up a modeling job at the nearby university. To his dismay, a young art student named Antonio Fernandez Carriedo falls in love with him. Lovino finds himself unable to shake the stubborn Spaniard and falls in L-word with him too.
Relationships: South Italy/Spain (Hetalia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I am far from a professional writer, please excuse all mistakes. This is my first fanfiction, so I am still learning! This fanfiction will be slow to update, but I am planning on finishing it. I hope you enjoy it! Feedback is appreciated.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Lovino paused, taking his hands off his shoes. “No, but I want to be able to pay rent.” He watched as Feliciano moved from the kitchen to beside him. Feliciano stood with his hands together, fingers rubbing circles into his own palms.

“I’m sure there are other ways of getting money, Lovi!” Feli huffed, frowning, “There are all sorts of restaurants that need waiters, and stores that need employees!”

“You know I’ve already tried that, Feli,” Lovi sighed as he finished tying his shoes. “I’ll be back home by three, and then we can eat lunch together. Okay?”

Defeated, Feli nodded and went to sit in the living room. “Stay safe” he added while looking around for the television remote.

Lovino hummed in reply, making sure he was ready for his first day of work. He waved to his brother and stepped out of the door. He already knew where he was going, so he pushed his hands into his pockets and started the walk to the bus stop. Lovi felt at peace with the busy street lined with browning trees. It allowed his mind to wander, and he thought about his destination.

It was a nearby university. A university that also happened to host one of the best art programs in the nation. The university that Feli wanted to attend once they saved up enough money for him to go. Also, the university that Lovino picked up a job at; which will probably come back to bite him in the ass. He felt a sinking feeling within his chest– maybe this was a worse idea than he thought– he wouldn’t want someone mixing him up with his little brother. He took a deep breath but continued moving forward. Lovino took his time walking to the bus stop, knowing the faster he walked, the sooner he arrived.

He saw the advertisement about two weeks ago, posted on the bulletin board in his and Felis favorite cafe:

“ _Models wanted for university art program_ ”

Lovino almost wished he didn’t see it, but he did. And the 90€ pay seemed too good to pass up, especially when he needed no skill set to apply. So naturally, he did.

The short walk to the bus stop seemed to go on forever, each step making Lovi’s feet feel heavier in an attempt to just give up and go back home. But, living in an apartment with upcoming rent dues and a baby brother who needs an education, Lovino knew he could not turn this down.

Lovino stood by the bus stop, with two other strangers, waiting for the bus. He shuffled his feet against the pavement under him, kicking around small rocks. The others didn’t look nearly as nervous as he was– they probably worked modest, normal jobs.

The bus came soon after. Lovino got on last and quickly moved to sit in the back, legs bouncing as his anxiety levels increased. He took a deep breath and reminded himself why he was doing this: it was easy money. Sitting back, Lovi watched the scenery outside change to a more crowded city. Soon young adults in bright clothing and dumb-looking hats were the only thing Lovino could see. _College kids_. Lovino knew how much money it took to get into this school, so the number of students in 5€ thrifted t-shirts left a sour taste in his mouth. He pressed his thumb into his inner wrist to relax.

Eventually, the bus stopped close to the main entrance of the art building. He told himself that it was too late to turn back, but he knew it was a lie. He could just stay on the bus for the full rotation until it returned back to his original stop and go lie to Feliciano and say he actually got money for them. He got off the bus anyway. His steps felt forced and odd, like he was over complicating them, but no one else seemed to notice. Lovi went over the directions he had been given over email and started towards the classroom.

Lovino travelled through hallways and up stairs, to where he now stood in front of a decorated doorway with a plate reading “Room 2E - Sig. Santini” to the right of the door. There were already students in the room. He took a deep breath and entered after a small group of kids.

“You must be Mr. Vargas, correct?” asked the professor as he approached him. Lovino simply nodded, suddenly more aware of what he had signed up for. He felt his skin crawl, glancing at the 30 some chairs set up around the room and the people that were quickly filling them.

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s correct, I mean” his throat tightened and he felt his face grow warmer. The professor laughed, “Is this your first time modeling?” Lovino nodded again, forcing himself to avoid looking at the students.

Smiling, the professor motioned to a small room with a curtain covering the front, “that is where you can undress. After, if you could stand on the podium,” he pointed to a raised area in front of the chairs. Lovino nodded, watching as he pointed out the things in the room, face still hot. “You don’t need to be nervous, my students are very professional and are simply using this as getting used to drawing different forms”

Lovi took a deep breath, “Thank you. I’ll go get changed, then.” Turning quickly he walked off to the small stall, taking deep breaths to try and soothe his nerves. _You can do this_ , he thought to himself. Slowly, with shaky hands, Lovino started to remove his clothing. He stood in front of the skinny mirror inside the stall, fiddling with his fingers while glancing himself over. His stomach stuck out slightly more than what he remembered, likely due to the increase of sweets in his diet, and the decrease of long walks around the neighborhood. He could hear the professor talking to the students in the classroom, explaining expectations and some due date for a project. With one last deep breath, he finished undressing besides his socks and shoes.

Was he supposed to take those off? Lovino wasn’t sure, however, it made the most sense to do so. He quickly placed them beside the rest of his clothes and flexed his foot against the ground to get used to the cold feeling. He listened to hear the professor finish his speech and knew it was time to exit.

Refusing to look at himself again, Lovino stepped out of the makeshift closet, completely naked, into a room full of college kids. Strangely, there was no gasp or crude comment. They were silent. Glancing at Santini, Lovino worked on an autopilot that guided him towards the platform in the room, closer to the students.

“Go ahead and stand in a comfortable position, the students are practicing quick sketches first so you will only be in this pose for around 7 minutes” he could distantly hear the professor call to him. Lovino nodded again and stood in the middle of the podium. He pondered for a moment and then resorted to straightening his back out, leaning all his weight onto his right side and placing a hand on his hip. It seemed like a fairly easy pose to keep up, and he was not in any discomfort so far.

Well, besides the now full room of kids studying every part of him. At least, most of them appeared to not give a shit about what they were looking at. Lovino still couldn’t find himself to actually look at anyone, instead he chose to scrutinize the wall in the back of the room. He could still feel his heart beating hard in his chest, the sound echoing up to his ears. He gripped onto his hip to try and make sure he was being completely still, however he still felt slightly shaky.

Lovino gathered up courage and took a quick glance around the room at the students, all working quickly to get his form onto paper. They would look at him for a second, then swiftly moved back to their workspace where their hands moved in shapes and lines. Funny enough, half the kids seemed just as nervous and embarrassed as he was, with red faces and glances to only his upper body. At least Lovi knew he wasn’t alone. He started to feel more comfortable and went back to staring at the wall.

An alarm went off somewhere behind him. “That’s time, class. Please flip to your next page. Mr. Vargas, this will be the second of the three quick poses.” Honestly, Lovino should have thought of more poses to do, as he was unsure of where to move. He thought about all the magazines he'd seen before and the professional models in them, and what they were doing.

He moved into a sort of ‘chest puffed, hand on his upper abdomen area’ that he hoped was different enough from the last pose. Lovino looked back over the students, who were glancing at various parts of his body. There was still a part of him that was an anxious mess, however he forced himself to not focus on it and try to stay relaxed.

A few minutes in, his back muscles started hurting– standing still became slightly more difficult. Lovi took a deep breath and tried to flex his shoulders to ease the pain. It worked partially but didn’t provide the relief he was looking for. Sighing, Lovino decided to try and think of other poses to get his mind off of the pain.

Arched back was not an option for the next pose, so that only left so many things to do. He could just stand comfortably, but he would need something to make it more interesting. Lovi went through possible positions and tried to imagine himself doing them, trying to make sure he wouldn’t look dumb. Eventually, he landed on standing straight and placing a hand on his shoulder to create a different perspective.

The alarm went off again, and Lovino glanced back momentarily. The professor repeated the same ‘turn your pages’ and Lovi started moving into his next pose. He turned his body a bit to the side and placed his left hand on his opposite shoulder. The new position moved his line of sight to the end of students and a covered window. At least he could watch the students work, as it was fascinating to him.

One girl had hard lines on her forehead from where she was squinting to see Lovino better. She spent a good amount of time working on his upper body and the curves made from his arm position but quickly went over the lower part she was putting onto the paper. Lovino was glad the professor was right, as the students did seem to all be very professional, and not the horny asshole college kids he imagined them to be.

He got bored pretty quickly and looked at the other students. One was focusing on his shoulders, and another seemed to be struggling with the bend of his elbow. The last kid was drawing his face, and Lovino regretted looking at him at that time as they made awkward eye contact that renewed Lovi’s initial anxiety. _Great_. He quickly moved his gaze to the covered window and tried to forget about that little slip-up. Through his peripheral vision, Lovino could see that the boy was still staring at his face.

Once again, the alarm rang and this time Sig. Santini stood, and walked towards Lovi. “Go ahead and relax for a minute. We are moving onto long poses where you’ll need to be still for 45 minutes,” he paused and turned towards a student, “Antonio, help me with the couch, please.” The kid who he made awkward eye contact with stood up and walked over to a small floral couch pushed to the side of the room. “Don’t worry, the couch is thoroughly cleaned after each use.” The professor walked over to help the student while Lovino moved off the podium.

Taking a deep breath, Lovi stretched out his arms and legs, being careful as to not further expose himself. He watched as the two placed the couch down, and glanced it over. It looked clean however the type of fabric seemed like it would be scratchy. Lovino sat down on the couch and took a second to get the feel for it. He could see and hear the students getting into better positions to draw for an extended time. Lovi thought for a moment then decided to lay down on the couch, placing a hand on the top and his legs over the side. He shifted until in a comfortable position and stilled himself. The professor said something about time from the front of the room, which Lovino drowned out.

The 45 minutes went by slowly and included moments like Lovino trying to find shapes in the ceiling, contemplating his next pose, and his arm going uncomfortably numb. His next position was certainly easier to hold– sitting up straight on the couch with one leg on the ground and the other crossed under it. The pose felt more intimate for Lovino, as he sat up and was facing all of the students, and was able to look at all of their faces.

It was interesting to watch, all of them trying so hard to get every detail of his body down. Lovino was surprised he hadn’t hated modeling as much as he assumed he would. In his mind, Lovi thought today would involve kids whispering and making fun of his body, however it was more like entertaining himself for a few hours and avoiding weird eye contact. Which happened more than once as he tried to focus on each student and what they could be doing. Lovino was actually pretty curious about what the kids were drawing; was it just scribbles or actually detailed work? He was unsure if it was rude to ask or not, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Eventually, the second 45 minute period passed. Lovino stood and stretched again, stomach rumbling slightly. He wished he would’ve brought a snack for himself. The students seemed ready for the class to be over, as more were shifting about and stretching themselves. Lovino took a deep breath and moved into his final pose, where he decided to sit in the middle of the couch and bring a knee to his chest. He shifted around until he found the specific position that would be most comfortable, and waited for his work to be over.

After another slow 45 minutes of small shifts and staring at the back wall, the professor finally called for the students to stop drawing. Lovino let out a soft grunt as he stood up, shaking out his legs. The kids started packing up and leaving the classroom as Sig. Santini approached Lovi one last time.

“That was a great class, I could tell they liked drawing you.” Lovino wasn’t really sure what that meant, but he gave a fake smile nonetheless. “Thank you, Signore.”

Lovino walked back to the small closet, ready to dress and head home. Once stepping in he quickly pulled his underwear back on, fully enjoying the feeling of clothes again. He finished putting his clothes on and glanced at himself in the mirror. Checking his pockets to make sure he still had his phone and wallet, Lovino stepped out of the closet.

“Would you be willing to come back next week? The pay would be the same,” the professor asked from his desk, clearly getting ready to head home as well. Lovino nodded, shifting, “yeah, I could do that. Would it be the same thing?” Santini walked towards him and handed him a small envelope.

“Close, we will be working on lighting so the poses won’t be as long. The money is in there, by the way.” Lovino pushed the envelope into his back pocket, “yeah, just email me the day and time and I can be here.” He walked with the professor towards the door and stepped back into the busy hall with the professor. Santini smiled, holding out his hand, “I’ll see you then.”

Lovi shook his hand and turned to walk back to the bus stop. He quickly jogged down a staircase with a hand on the envelope in his pocket to keep it still. The students paid no mind to him as he pushed open the main door of the building.

He took a deep breath, excited to go home, eat something, and take a much needed nap. Lovino glanced towards the sun in the sky and revelled in the warmth compared to the cold air conditioning in the building. The bus wasn’t there yet; Lovino guessed it would be there in a few minutes so he approached the bench next to stop. Lovino sat down and pulled out his phone, before being greeted by someone who assumed to be a student.

“You’re Vargas, right? I’m Antonio.” Lovino glanced up at him, frowning. It was the kid who moved the couch, except he looked taller and more annoying now. Lovi flashed him a fake smile before turning back to his phone.

“I, um,” the boy quickly sat next to him on the bench, “I wanted to ask you something.” Lovino took a deep breath and looked back at him, unamused. “And what is that?” his voice came out harsh and it caused Antonio to flinch.

“Do you maybe, like” Antonio glanced to off to the side, “do you want to go on a date? Together, I mean.” Lovino laughed dryly, becoming more annoyed with the kid.

“Yeah, no thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working out the names for the story so there may be some edits later on. I like the authenticity of the names Lorenzo and Felice but I know a lot of people prefer Lovino/Feliciano, so that is why those are currently in use.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly one month later and I'm finally getting around to posting this.. thank you to everyone who's stuck around! Needless to say, life got in the way but I picked up my act enough to finish this. Special thanks to those who commented, it means the absolute world to me and gives me the confidence to write <3\. Sorry this chapter is a little bit shorter, however the next one will be longer and more exciting. I hope you enjoy!! Notes at the end are explaining the cultural elements in this chapter.

“Yeah, no thanks”

Antonio’s shoulders slowly fell, and he laughed awkwardly. “Right, sorry. I just thought you were, eh, really attractive and, you know, it was worth a shot, right?” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

Lovino stared up at him before turning his body away from Antonio, “Uh, sure. Is that all you needed?” Out of the corner of his vision, Lovino saw the bus turn down the street. Antonio shifted closer. “I just,” he paused, “are you going to be coming back to our class?” Lovino thought for a second before responding.

“Yeah, sometime next week” Antonio smiled wide and stood as the bus came to a stop. “Then I’ll talk to you then! Have a good day, Mr. Vargas!” Antonio waved and walked off in the direction he came. Lovino grimaced at being called “Mr. Vargas” but stood as well and got onto the bus. The bus was more crowded with students trying to go off campus between classes, so Lovino had to squish between people and sit towards the back. 

He took a deep breath and moved the envelope into his lap, holding onto it tightly. Lovi shifted in the seat and thought about what he wanted to do once he got home; eat lunch, take a nap. He lightly smiled at the thought of a hot meal prepared by his brother.

The bus ride was over quickly, and the walk home was aided by zoning out and going through the motions. Easily finding the house key, Lovino pushed open the door to be greeted with a heavy smell of pork and herbs. He took a deep breath, “Feliciano, I’m back.”

The rustling sounds of pans stopped, and Feliciano stepped out of the kitchen. “Lovino! Did you get the money? Lunch is almost ready.” Lovi set the envelope on the small table by the door. 

“All 90€ worth. What are you making?” Feliciano smiles and motioned Lovi to follow him into the kitchen, “Porchetta, and I’m almost finished with some bruschetta. Actually,” he grabbed a spoon from the counter, “help me stir the topping”. 

Lovino quickly started his task and tossed together the tomato and olive oil combination while Feli pulled a pork roll out of the oven. “Did you make that yourself?”

Feliciano laughed as he pulled his oven mitts off, “Are you kidding? Do you know how long it takes to make this? No, I bought it from the store while you were out.” He turned around and grabbed plates from the cabinet. “How was it, by the way?” Lovino grabbed the sliced bread that was put to the side and started putting the topping on. “It was… not as bad as I assumed.”

Feli nodded silently and placed the portions of food onto the plates. Both brothers finished setting up the meal in silence. Lovino filled their glasses with water and took a seat at the small table next to the kitchen. “This looks good, Feli. Thank you.”

He laughed and sat opposite his brother, “It’s the least I could do for a working man.” Lovino hummed and started to devour the food in front of him, Feliciano opted to pray beforehand. “I, uh, I got another job for next week. So that should help us.” Feli nodded and smiled wide, “Great! Same thing?” Lovino glanced up and nodded. 

They had been living together for 4 years since Feliciano turned 19. Lovino thought about the first year they shared the apartment, and the awkward conversations they forced themselves to go through during meal times. Now, they were able to sit in comfortable silence as they had nothing else to say. Lovi started thinking about work: the money, the embarrassment, and Antonio. 

“There was this,” he thought before speaking, “psychopath who asked me out before I could get on the bus home.” Feliciano lifted his head, smiling wide, “And you said yes, right?” Lovino rolled his eyes, “You know I didn’t.” 

Feli placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “So, what was her name?” They weren’t a _her_ , or at least Lovino assumed, but of course, Feliciano didn’t know that. He thought about creating a fake female name but Antonia sounded too cliche. Lovino picked at his food in silence before sighing in defeat. “Antonio, his name was Antonio.” 

Feliciano's face lit up. “ _Oh,_ Antonio, huh? Was he cute?” Feliciano sat with a stupidly wide smile and Lovino had to stop himself from saying something rude. “Conventionally, yes.” Lovino felt his face grow warm and heard his brothers excitement from across the table. 

“And you didn’t say yes to hot guy Antonio?” Feliciano spoke loudly and gave up on eating for the moment. 

“Don’t call him that!” Lovino yelled, face hot and fists balled. Feliciano quickly covered his mouth to hide his snorts. Cursing quietly, Lovi took a drink of water to calm himself down. It didn’t work. “That doesn’t mean that _I_ think he’s cute.”

“Yeah, but your face says otherwise” Feli teased, pointing a finger towards Lovi. He rolled his eyes again. “I’m just saying,” Feliciano added, “that you should get yourself out there more! You’re cute, you know.”

Lovino sighed, “You’re only saying that because we’re practically twins.” Feliciano shrugged, “why else would I say it?” He laughed again and bit down onto his hand to stop the sound. Lovi tried to appear mad but found himself chuckling as well. 

He shifted, “That’s pretty rich coming from you though. Not like you’ve ever had a date.” Feliciano smiled but chose to take a few last bites of food before replying. “Lovi,” he pushed his plate forward as he spoke, “you know that I’m focusing on my education right now. I’ll get a pretty girlfriend eventually.” Lovino watched as he pushed the empty plate forward and stood when he finished speaking. He took both the plates and gave a customary ‘that was good, thank you’ before heading to the kitchen. He listened as Feliciano grabbed the rest of the dishes left behind. 

“I know, Feli. Right now is just… not the right time for me.” Feliciano smiled wide. “I understand. The espresso is ready, do you want some?” Feli was already grabbing two shot glasses out of the cabinet before Lovi could speak. “No, actually. I think I’m going to take a nap instead, I’ve had a long day.”

Feliciano's features softened, and he placed one glass back. “Maybe next time then. I’ll have everything clean and ready for dinner when you wake up.” Lovino smiled softly and nodded in thanks before retreating to one of the doors by the dining table. 

As soon as he entered he shut and locked the door, sighing as the meal settled in his stomach. Lovino quickly pulled off the majority of his clothing and laid down on the beat-up mattress. 

Although his body was stretched and sore, and his eyes couldn’t keep open, his mind was running too fast for him to sleep. ‘ _Get yourself out there more_ ’ Feliciano's voice repeated. Slowly his mind drifted back to Antonio. His wide smile and the slight accent he had when he spoke. Lovino rolled onto his side and pulled the covers up to his chin, trying again to clear his mind and take a nap. 

The more he tried to push all thoughts out of his head, the more demanding they became. Strong scents of lunch mixed with the memory of a cold concrete floor against bare feet and became too much of a distraction for him.

Lovi grunted and shifted to lay on his stomach, pushing his head into his pillows. He could hear the road outside and Feli washing dishes in the kitchen. The room was hot but Lovino made no attempt to push off the blanket. It reminded him of the heat Feliciano would produce when they slept next to each other after particularly exhausting days, or during a bad thunderstorm. If he thought hard about it, Lovino could feel his brothers form against him; his arm on Lovi’s side, and his useless rambling about how his day was. 

Slowly in his mind, Lovino’s perception of Feliciano changed. He wasn’t as skinny or clingy, instead he had bulky arms and a loose grip on Lovi’s waist. His hair was a darker brown and his skin showed more days on the beach than inside the house. His voice dropped an octave and developed a calming accent, which spoke in a semi-familiar language to him. 

Lovino didn’t notice the change before he finally slipped into sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Porchetta is a pork roast stuffed with liver and many herbs, and is roasted for around 5-8 hours!  
> Bruschetta is grilled bread topped with olive oil, salt, and whatever the heart wants  
> When it says Feli was 19 when he moved in, its when he graduated high school! Italian high school lasts 5 years instead of 4


End file.
